The Basketball Calendar Is Turning

The WNBA is approaching the playoffs, NBA teams are preparing for camp, and college basketball is entering a new tournament era. Here are the developments that matter—and the questions beneath them.

WNBA: the regular season is becoming a seeding argument

The WNBA playoffs begin September 27, and the league’s top eight teams qualify regardless of conference. That makes every late result relevant to the bracket, not merely to an East-or-West race. Minnesota entered this week at the top of the published standings, with Golden State close behind and Las Vegas and Atlanta positioned in the next group.

The most revealing question is not simply who qualifies. It is which teams can protect their preferred style when a short series removes comfortable matchups. Minnesota’s consistency has created a valuable margin. Golden State’s home strength has made its second consecutive postseason berth especially meaningful. Las Vegas, Atlanta, Indiana and Washington all bring different lineup pressures, so seeding can change the shape of the first round.

Phoenix’s 87-86 win over Dallas on September 21 offered a useful warning: teams outside the leading group can still alter the bracket. Kahleah Copper’s 31-point performance gave Phoenix a close win and pushed Dallas out of the fifth seed at that moment. The postseason race is not only about the contenders beating each other. It is also about avoiding a damaging loss when the schedule appears manageable.

NBA: preparation now matters more than prediction

The NBA regular season does not begin until October 20, but the competitive calendar starts earlier. Preseason play opens October 3, with international games and roster decisions following quickly. This is the part of the year when broad predictions are least useful. Teams are trying to answer smaller, more practical questions: Which lineups can defend without sacrificing spacing? Which young players deserve rotation minutes? Which veterans need a reduced workload?

Preseason results will not tell us who will win in June. They can reveal whether a team’s preferred actions are organized, whether the second unit has a dependable creator and whether new personnel understand the defensive responsibilities behind the highlights. Hardwood Highlights will track those role questions instead of treating exhibition records like standings.

College basketball: a larger bracket changes the edge of the field

The NCAA announced that the Division I men’s and women’s tournaments will expand to 76 teams. The change adds opportunities at the edge of the bracket, but it does not remove the importance of the regular season. Conference performance, nonconference scheduling and late-season form will still shape who receives access and where teams are placed.

The most interesting effect may come before Selection Sunday. Coaches will have to decide how aggressively to schedule, knowing that a few more places exist without knowing that their résumé will be safely above the line. For women’s basketball, the 2026 tournament also reinforced the depth at the top: all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four. Expansion increases access, but the central competitive challenge remains closing the gap between strong programs and championship-ready ones.

What Hardwood Highlights will watch next

• WNBA: the final seed order, first-round matchups and which teams can create efficient offense late in close games.
• NBA: camp roles, second-unit creation, lineup balance and the first evidence of how new personnel fit together.
• NCAA men: roster continuity, point-guard responsibility and how teams prepare for the expanded field.
• NCAA women: whether returning contenders have added enough creation and depth to challenge the established top tier.